Post navigation

Should Designers Work for Nothing?

Please, read the ‘Job Description’ below and tell me what are your thoughts. I personally believe it to be a slap in the face of every designer and creative freelancer who lives/lived. Ever.

“We have a client who is being difficult, we previously have designed 3 videos (through other freelancers) for them and they didn’t like any of them.
Their feedback was that the videos weren’t fit for a 5 star hotel. They want something Elegant, Catching and Premium if that makes sense to you….”

blah, blah, blah…

“We need someone who can deliver something extraordinary!”

many more blahs…

“Time frame is 10 days. The videohas to be approved by the client for us to make any payment.”

-scratches record-

Wait, are these people serious? How would they like it if I came to their hotel and said hey, I’m going to stay here and use all your amenities and be really picky and annoy the staff, but my entire stay has to be fun, I have to be completely happy with the service before I make the final payment? I’m sure they would laugh in my face the second I said it. Which is why I did just the same, I don’t care that it is close to Christmas and the project is worth quite a bit. Principle is principle and there is no way that I’m going to put all my efforts into a project that 3 other designers have already attempted and risk not getting paid for my efforts. There is a line, and that is it.

People all over the world seem to have little regard for designers and the work that goes into our projects. When I take on a ten day project do they think I’m just diddling my thumbs to pass the time? Chances are I’m sitting down in this chair for longer hours than they work, using programs they’ve probably never heard of, to get their project looking polished and fit for play. Motion design is not simply putting words on a video and hoping it all looks ok (though I must be honest before I started designing I had no idea the back breaking work that goes into it).

The problem here for me though, is not only that they obviously do not respect designers, but that there is likely to be some poor shmuck who is gonna end up giving up a week of their time only to be greeted with the news that they will not be paid.